THE DAILY BRIEFING

NEST EGGS Demand for traditional pensions is continuing to slump in the wake of rules giving pensioners more freedom on how they spend their nest egg, Hargreaves Lansdown said.

Sales of annuities – which guarantee a set income for life but are expensive – plunged to 33,561 in the six months to March, down 16pc on a year earlier. CYBER RAID Hackers have stolen 143m americans’ personal details from credit checking agency Equifax. Some ‘limited personal information’ on UK residents was also breached. BOND ISSUE Real estate firm British Land has carried out its first sterling bond issue, raising £300m of debt with an annual interest payment of 2.4pc for lenders over 12 years. BOSSES EXIT Five directors have stepped down from oil services giant Cape following its purchase by industrial services firm altrad. NEW HIRE Insurer Direct Line has hired Prudential’s Penny James to succeed chief financial officer John Reizenstein when he leaves in March. HIGH FLYING Regional hub Luton Airport enjoyed its busiest summer in its 79-year history after 1.6m passengers passed through in august.

STORE BOOST Discount supermarket Aldi is on track to contribute £11.5bn to the economy in 2022 as it reaches its target of 1,000 stores, according to a report by the Centre For economics and Business Research. STRIKE ACTION Canteen staff at Exxon Mobil’s refinery in Fawley, Hampshire, are due to strike over low wages for five days from September 25.

FASHION FLOP luxury fashion brand Prada said its turnaround plan may take longer than expected after posting a 5.5pc drop in half-year sales to £1.4bn.

STAKE SOLD Global commodities trader Glencore has sold most of its stake in Russian state- owned firm Rosneft to the Chinese conglomerate China energy Company.